How is Draftboard different than The Swarm?

Draftboard vs. The Swarm: A Comparison

Both Draftboard and The Swarm help sales teams leverage warm introductions through network mapping. Here's how they compare.

Core Philosophy

The Swarm: Positions itself as a "relationship data company" with a large database approach. They maintain 580 million profiles and focus on data enrichment alongside relationship mapping.

Draftboard: Focuses specifically on making your team's existing relationships actionable. The emphasis is on relationship quality over database quantity.

Network Approach

Combines team LinkedIn and email connections
AI-powered discovery of hidden connections
Relies on a large external database for enrichment
Offers community-supported connectors

Maps your team's 1st and 2nd degree connections
Focuses on relationships you and your team actually have
No reliance on external connector marketplaces
Intros come through people who already know and trust you

Relationship Scoring

The Swarm: Uses AI to identify work and education overlaps. Tracks job changes daily for signal detection.

Length of overlapping employment
Recency of the connection
Multiple overlaps (worked together at different companies)
Titles and departments
Relative seniority

Both platforms score relationships, but Draftboard provides more granular visibility into why a path is strong.

Data & Integrations

580M+ profiles, 100M companies
Native integrations with HubSpot, Clay, Gmail
Focus on data enrichment capabilities
Open API for CRM enhancement

CSV import from any prospecting tool
CRM tracking for intro request lifecycle
Purpose-built for warm intro execution
Less focus on data enrichment, more on relationship activation

Tracking and CRM

The Swarm: Basic intro tracking with signal stacking for timing outreach.

Marking when you've requested an intro
Tracking declined intros
Seeing intros in progress
Confirming completed intros
Preventing duplicate asks across your team

Cost Structure

The Swarm: Free tier available (up to 100 connectors). Paid plans start at $99/month scaling to enterprise.

Draftboard: Monthly subscription pricing with unlimited intros.

Best For

You want data enrichment bundled with relationship mapping
You need a large database for prospecting research
You use Clay or HubSpot heavily in your workflow
You want to leverage external community connectors

You want to focus specifically on warm intro execution
Your team has existing relationships to activate
You need detailed relationship intelligence and scoring
You want full lifecycle tracking of every intro request

The Bottom Line

The Swarm takes a broader approach, combining relationship mapping with data enrichment and a large profile database. Draftboard is purpose-built for one thing: helping you find and execute warm intros through your team's existing network. If your primary goal is activating relationships for warm introductions, Draftboard's focused approach delivers deeper relationship intelligence and better intro tracking.